The Sun's Gentle Hands
by otts486
Summary: Inigo's light faded on that faithful his Mother died. Now in nohr he finds a new light. A gentle light that he vows to never let fade no matter what the cost...


"A one and a two," The young boy said as his feet moved in sync with his mother.

"Now a twirl and…" His mother said as they both twirled and struck a pose.

Inigo panted as the two held the pose for another couple seconds.

His mother let out a deep breath as she turned towards him. Inigo looked up at her and squinted as the golden sun's rays radiated around her shadowy form.

"Inigo that was amazing!" His mother exclaimed as she knelt beside him with a warm beaming smile.

"R-really?" He blinked

She nodded, "Mmhm you followed every step perfectly" She wrapped her arms around him, "I'm so proud of you at this rate you'll learn this dance in no time"

Warm, that was the only way to describe how it felt. His mother's gentle hands wrapped around his body like the golden drops of sun that tickled his face. His lips curved into yet another warm smile as his mother ended the embrace and smiled back. A soft warm and delicate smile that shined just as bright as the glimmering sun basking down on them.

* * *

"INIGO GET DOWN!" He heard his mother shout.

Next thing he knew his eyes suddenly snapped shut as his body slammed into the floor. Inigo let out a low groan as his body rang with a shot of pain. Slowly, the world came spinning back. A symphony of agony and terror filled his ears as low moans grumbled through the air with the crackle of flames. Something warm and wet dripped onto his cheeks as he slowly opened his eyes to the dark and ruined world around him.

"M-moth-" His eyes widened at the sight before him.

His mother's body, splattered with blood and wounds, loomed over him as a short spear drenched in her blood stuck out from her stomach. His hand immediately went to cover his mouth as his stomach coiled around his throat and nearly squeezed out his innards.

"Ar-are...y-...you alright?" His mother asked as her lips struggled to form a smile.

Inigo could only nod in silence.

"Th-that's good" A warm smile began to form from her lips and once again shined as bright as the sun that once loomed overhead. "Pl-please….y-you m-must….r….u…" Her lips stopped as her body went limp and collapsed on top of him.

For a moment, Inigo didn't move. He simply laid there trembling with his mother's blood smeared corpse on top of him. "M-mom?" was all he could say before a blood-curdling roar caught his attention. He glanced over his mother's body to see two grotesque purple humanoid monsters as they began to approach. He clutched the corpse in his arms and rolled to his feet. He had to get him and his mom somewhere safe. He slung his mom's body over his shoulder and after a quick glance back ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

"I think I lost them" Heavy bloodstained breaths heaved from his lungs as he walked into the back alley. He looked around and could barely see anything as shadows draped every corner and swallowed up any hint of light.

He gently placed his mother against the wall only for her limp body to slump to the floor. He propped her back up and made sure she stayed.

"Mom are you alright?"

No answer

Inigo's heart began to sink. "Come on answer me!" He pleaded as tears began to form in his eyes.

Once again there was no answer.

"Mom, please! Just answer me!" He pleaded once more as both his voice and the dam in his eyes began to crack.

He placed hands on her shoulder and began to shake her vigorously. "Why?! Why don't you answer me?! Please just say something! Anything! Please just tell me you're ok! Please…" He stopped.

"Please…." He said in a low voice as his heart splattered across the canyon floor, "j-just t-tell….me...e-everyth...ing w-will be...okay…"

Once again there was no response as nothing but shadows draped over them.

* * *

Laslow sighed as he looked at the small chain of circles in his hand. "Everything will be okay" He whispered to himself. He moved his head and gazed up at the nohrian sky.

Nothing but darkness without a hint of sunlight and not a star nor moon in sight. It seemed no matter where he went, without her, darkness always followed. He glanced down at the golden chain again. It sparkled in the darkness as if a million stars danced in his hand. Nothing will ever be able to replace that warm shining light from all those years ago.

"Mother what should I do? I don't think I'm ready for…"

"There you are Laslow!" He heard a familiar voice speak up.

He glanced back and spied a shade of crimson peer through the shadows.

"Selena," He said as he turned around, "Wh-what are you d-doing out here?" He said as her venomous glare shot at him through the dark.

Is she angry? She seems angry. She's probably angry.

"Y-you idiot!" She panted as she walked up and punched him square in the face.

Yep, definitely angry.

The brown haired mercenary stumbled back as his hands wrapped around his face. "Gah! Severa what the hell was that for?!"

"First of all, don't call me that! Have you forgotten our identities need to be kept secret!" She crossed her arms and shot a scowl at him, "Second off, where the hell have you been all day?! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!"

Laslow shook his head as the pain began to fade and quickly regained his composure, "Geez Selena you pack one mean left hook" He said as he rubbed his jaw.

"Oh get over it" Selena rolled her eyes, "Frankly, I'm surprised you're not used to getting punched in the face"

"Well it's been a while since I stopped after I gave you that ring"

"Well whatever you still haven't answered my question"

Laslow raised an eyebrow, "what question?"

Selena let out an audible groan, "The one I just asked you idiot! Why did you just wander off and left me alone in the infirmary?!"

So that's what this is about.

"Oh right well…"

"Gods, why did I have to marry someone so daft?"

Laslow smiled, "Well no taking it back now you're stuck with me"

"Just answer the question"

"Alright but would be so kind as to show me a smile? It's a terrible shame to see such a beautiful face scowling all the time"

A smear of red spread across Selena's face as her head quickly turned away, "I said just answer the question, idiot!"

"Alright well in truth I…." He hesitated for a moment unsure of how to answer, "...I...I dunno" He sighed, "I guess I just needed to clear my head"

Selena looked back at her husband as her scowl melted away and sighed, "I guess it is a lot to take in, huh?"

Laslow nodded, "Yeah, it's kind of like that feeling our past selves for the first time but now we're the ones who are going to be responsible for it" Laslow looked down at the dancer chain that sparkled in his open palm, "How did our parents react when this happened to them? Did they feel unready? Were they shocked or surprised?"

"I don't know though it's not like we can ask them anymore"

Laslow sighed, "Yeah you're right. Then again we were born during a time of peace after the plegia war but right now we're in a war...would we be able to keep it safe?"

"I talked with lady Corrin about it and she said she had something in mind"

Laslow raised an eyebrow, "really, what?"

"She's going to have Lilith open up some kind of pocket dimension where time moves faster or something"

"She can do that?"

"I guess so but what else can you expect from the daughter of a dragon?"

"Yeah"

Selena sighed, "Still I'm not so sure about it"

"I know what you mean"

"We'd be abandoning our child just so they would be safe" Selena's arms slid to her side as one clutched the other, "We wouldn't be able to watch them laugh, play, or grow...They'd probably be really lonely y'know...what if they end up resenting us? what if…" She trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.

She didn't have to either. Flashes of his mother's limp body drenched in blood swept through his mind, "I know b-but…" He hesitated for a moment, "but what choice do we have? If it's to keep them safe then…"

"I know I'm just…"

Laslow smiled, "Now who's worried?"

Smudges of red once again smeared across the redhead's face, "Sh-shut up you idiot! This isn't the kind of thing that should be taken lightly! We wouldn't want to make a mistake cause we've only got one shot!"

Laslow let out a light chuckle.

Selena scowled at him, "what is so funny?!"

"Sorry I was just thinking about how no matter what you're still the same Severa from when we first met"

Severa's face grew redder almost to the shade of her hair, "What did I say about calling me that! Stupid Inigo!"

Inigo smiled again, "look who's talking"

"Sh-shut up stupid Ini-...Laslow!"

Inigo laughed again, "You're pretty cute when you're flustered you know that?"

Severa's face was a tomato at this point as her hands balled into fists, "Do you want me to punch you again!"

Inigo put his hands up in defense and shook his head, "No ma'am"

Severa let out a deep sigh, "Gawds I just can't with you sometimes" She crossed her arms once more.

Inigo smiled and walked over to his wife as a warm feeling began to well in his chest. It was a familiar feeling like the one he felt when his mother was smiling down at him. He wrapped his arms around Severa.

"Hey, wha-"

"Thank you, Severa"

Severa blushed again, "I should be the one thanking you, idiot"

"If you really wanted to thank me you'd show me a smile"

Severa remained silent for a moment before turning her head and brought her lips to her husband's. The two held for a few seconds before breaking off as she smiled back at him.

"There see? Now everything will be okay"

* * *

Laslow stood beside his wife's bed as she lovingly cradled the sleeping newborn in her arms.

"She's beautiful," He said as he leaned in a little closer.

"Yeah obviously she's _my _daughter after all"

Laslow let out a light chuckle, "I don't know she looks like she has my face"

"Yeah but she has my hair which we both know is the most important"

"Whatever you say"

For a moment, the two stood in silence as they admired their newborn daughter. Drops of golden sun began to drip through the windows as the infant girl began to open her eyes.

"She's waking up" Selena spoke up, "Hello there," Selena said in the most tender and loving voice as a smile curved on her face.

"Good morning" Laslow smiled.

Their daughter tried to rub her eyes only to sneeze. Laslow reached over and wiped her face causing her to look at him with a smile. It was at that moment a flood of sunlight rushed into the room and wrapped Inigo in a familiar warmth he had not felt for a long time. It was just like back then when his mother was still alive and looking over him. He had finally found something to replace that light. This child would be his new light. His new sun that he swore to never let fade.

"Welcome to this world, Soleil"

"B-but I just can't leave you here by yourself!" Soleil snapped at her father as tears pooled her eyes. "You saw what they did to mom! They'll kil-"

"Soleil listen to me!" Laslow cut her off, "You have to get out of here no matter what!"

"B-but they'll…"

"I'll be fine" Laslow shot his daughter a reassuring smile, "I've been through much worse trust me" He brushed her scarlet red bangs to the side and wiped the tears from her face. If not for the hair color, she would be the spitting image of his mother. "So don't worry about me got it"

"O-okay" She sniffed

"Come on show me a smile," Laslow said as he pulled a small crystal from his pocket, "You haven't forgotten what I said already?"

"That everything will be okay so long as you smile"

"That's right, now smile for me"

Soleil did just that as once again that familiar warmth wrapped around Inigo's body.

"There was that so hard?"

She shook her head.

The mercenary glanced behind him as he noticed several more vallite soldiers began to charge into view.

He turned back to his daughter, "Ok we don't have much time but you should also take this with you" He said as he placed the crystal his daughter's hands.

"What's this?"

"a magical crystal that can warp you to anywhere you desire even across time and space so if anything happens, use this to warp you and Ophelia to a place known as Ylisstol"

"Why there?"

"It's a safe place and there are people there that will protect you so long as you tell them that your father's name is Inigo"

"Inigo? but I thought-"

"That's enough talk you should go now the enemy will be on top of us soon" Inigo rose to his feet and turned to face the mass of invisible soldiers.

"Alright," Soleil said as she picked up her sword and began to run in the other direction.

Inigo smiled as he watched her scurry off, "Be safe Soleil, I promise I won't let your light fade"

He turned his attention back to the mass of soldiers stampeding towards him. He drew his sword and with a brazen war cry charged forward.

_Mother, Father, wherever you are, are you watching? Cause I think I finally understand…_

Inigo decapitated another soldier as a sharp pain stung through his arm. He looked over his bleeding shoulder and pulled out the silver arrow. He dodged an ax swing only for his back to be grazed by the tip of a spear.

_I understand now why you risked so much to protect me back then..._

Inigo cried out in pain as a sword tore across his chest. He leaped away from another strike and with several quick calculated blows took out a few more soldiers. Heavy blood-stained breaths heaved from his lungs as he looked down at his body covered in blood and wounds. He looked back up to see several more soldiers begin to surround him.

"These things just don't end, do they?" He wiped some blood from his chin, "Well if they wanna performance that bad I guess I can oblige" He said as he jumped back into the fray.

_Why you risked so much to protect the light you held so dear…._

His body was beginning to slow down as more wounds tore across his body.

_As now I have my own light to protect, a light so bright it shines as bright as the sun like you once did for me back then…_

Inigo's eyes widened as he caught sight of a stray javelin whizzing through the air, "At that trajectory, it'll hit…"

_And I won't let that sun fade no matter what the cost...no matter what the cost…_

Time seemed to slow down as Inigo sprinted as fast as he could towards the javelin's line of fire.

"SOLEIL GET DOWN!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as he threw himself over his daughter. A near deafening wail of pain shot from his mouth as the javelin drilled through his stomach.

He barely forced his eyes open and looked down at his distraught daughter. For a moment, his younger self flashed over top of her.

He tried to force a smile, "Ar-are...y-...you alright?"

Soleil could only nod in silence.

"Th-that's good" A warm smile began to form from his lips and once again shined as bright as the sun that loomed overhead.

_I'm sorry mother, father, It looks like I won't be meeting back up with you in the way you expected, huh. I'm sorry Soleil. I was unable to keep my promise to you._

"Pl-please….y-you m-must….r….u…n" He finally forced out before everything went black.


End file.
